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How Small Businesses Can Benefit From a Content Marketing Strategy

January 11th, 2017

Neville Greenwood

Marketing your business can be daunting at the best of times, particularly if you’re an entrepreneur who has no idea how to go about it. You need to figure out what works, what doesn’t and if you’re a website owner as well, then you’re going to hear, if you haven’t already, the term ‘Content Marketing’.

You’re going to find that content marketing can deliver exceptional result s if it is put to proper use.

What is Content Marketing?

In a nutshell, it is the relevant and very valuable content you create and distribute to attract and convert your target audience who are prospective customers or leads. It is content that orbits around your niche which are your business. It can be in the form of the written word (article or news letter), visual (video) or audible. It will be worthy of your visitors and will pique their interest in a way they find irresistible.

Now For the Benefits

Getting your business ‘out there’ involves attaining well-deserved notoriety. Your website is your face because you’re more than likely not going to personally meet your customers. This is your initial contact, and it’s essential that first impressions are the best impressions.

You’ll be building a reputation through your blog which will, in turn, build trust. This is the most valuable aspect of any business, and often we’re so ill-tuned to those people we’re targeting we forget these people are real. They’re not virtual.

So, no matter the size of your business, content is king and has been proven to sustain trust which then gives the incentive for visitors to return as paying customers. Customers are after custom content because they want to trust. They want to feel they have a connection with a company but without a solid foundation on which to build it, they must feel safe while dealing with you.

Custom content builds authority. Your authority. And with authority comes an audience who are real people who will more than likely become your customers, returning customers who trust in you and your business.

SEO = Where Are You?

Whoever you are; whatever your business, if you’re a local you’ll know that searching the web for a local business can be difficult due to it being excessively full. And grasping a spot on the first page under keywords is even more daunting in a crowded marketplace.

Being consistent eliminates most of that difficulty. You need to regularly feed your website with high-quality content posted to your site. All this effort leads to furthering the success of your business.

We won’t delude you into thinking that this kind of action is going to reap the rewards overnight because it’s not. Nevertheless, consistency will increase your Google rankings which will then increase your traffic which then brings your prospects and your sales. You see, Google needs to know if the content you’re offering is not only rich and high quality but importantly, trustworthy. Without those three components, it is difficult to reach better rankings. Valuable content remains king. It’s as simple as that.

Social Media Exposure

Content marketing is the fodder you feed to your social media platforms. Social Media has immense power to move your business in front of the right eyes, providing you perform properly. You’re creating rich, quality content and you’re also building an unforgettable brand.

When you use social media to benefit your company, your content marketing strategy is a way to climb steadily toward the trust platforms. Harnessing social media in a way that is advantageous is by adding social media share buttons to your website. This strategy makes it effortless for people to share your well written, valuable content which means more traffic. Optimising your WordPress posts for SEO is one thing, but connecting Google+ to your website is another. That way you can encourage Likes on that platform while educating your visitors on the work that you do and letting them know that your way is different from the competition.

All this effort will cost you, in the long run, is time if you do all your content marketing in house. It’s worth thinking about the rewards you’ll reap after all the research and input you’ve contributed.

Define Your Audience

This is probably something that doesn’t get a lot of thought because often people like to get their content published and out there in front of as many eyes as they possibly can.

But you wouldn’t shoot an arrow at an audience in the dark so why would you shoot out a whole lot of content to an audience you haven’t defined? Define your content goals which should be centred around your business and your audience. For instance, a local wellness business might decide to educate its online audience on how to find a reputable holistic healer or someone who deals in Bowen therapy. They will probably place calls to action throughout their posts to attract leads for their own business.

So long as the business creates content based on what they do and what their services are, the defined goals are always in the forefront. Tools to find your audience can offer some advice as to how to get organised and get your content in front of thousands of eyes.

Your Competition

There will always be competition and if there isn’t then your business could become complacent. Research your competition to see what they’re doing when you’ve come to a place where content is dry. Find out what they’re writing about; check who their audience is and view the comments. What is the business posting on social media? See if you can dig out the best of their content and most popular posts and delve deeper to see if they’re getting success out of any videos they’ve posted on YouTube.

This kind of research keeps your head above the water when you’ve saturated every idea avenue. No one has ever covered everything in their niche and neither will you.

What this exercise is learning is too valuable to pass up and below we’ve shared some online resources to give you a hand while you’re starting out. Online marketing is not easy. Admitted, it can be so daunting that a lot of people throw up their hands in sheer exasperation. But if you keep your strategies simple, you’ll succeed.

Content Marketing – How to Build an Audience that Builds Your Digital Business offers a free eBook that explains how to use blogs, podcasts, videos and social media to give your business the best shot. Neil Patel on Facebook offers free marketing and business advice that can give you an opportunity to also subscribe to his newsletter. Being the founder of QuickSprout, this man is a fountain of information that will have your jaw dropping as you glean valuable information. Getting Started at the Content Marketing Institute provides a getting started guide that is chock full of techniques that will help you launch your business with clarity and assurance.

When You Need Assistance

Your time is valuable. If you find that your content is time-consuming, consider hiring a freelancer to give you a window of help. There are plenty of professional bloggers out there. Here are a few to look at. Blogging Pro Job Board is for businesses in need of high-quality freelance writers and bloggers. You can post a job for $30 for 30 days. Explain exactly what your requirements are because you’ll be inundated with emails. Sometimes you’ll be asked to include a random phrase in the post to ensure the applicants have read it in its entirety. It is also a requirement to give an indication of your price per post and average word count.

ProBlogger Board job listings regularly get thousands of views and is very similar to Blogging Pro except ProBlogger asks $70 for jobs posted for thirty days. Hire a Freelance Blogger, and you’ll be in touch with Sophie Lizard who works behind the scenes of Be A Freelance Blogger. Well known for her ability to write, she helps you to find the right blogger for your job.

There above are three places you can begin with if you’re short of time or just need a hand. If you’re looking for regular content, you can try places like Fiverr or Hire Writers and or Freelancer.

Concluding

When it’s done properly, content marketing is not only a great way to get your brand out there, but it’s also fun.

If you’re seriously considering these angles, then we recommend you tap into the links we’ve provided so that you can get the best fit for your business. Learning is never boring when it’s a benefit that leads you to success.